Tributes for Boxing Monthly’s Glyn Leach following sudden death at 52

World Boxing News would like to add their own acknowledgement to Boxing Monthly Editor Glyn Leach who passed away suddenly yesterday at the age of 52.

Mr. Leach was a highly-regarded member of the boxing community having taken his own magazine to the very top of the sport and his loss has been severely felt by those closest to him.

WBN are saddened at this tragic news and would like to pass on our condolences to his family at this time.

The Commonwealth Boxing Council’s Simon Block, along with hundreds more of those who dealt with Mr. Leach throughout his career, have expressed their sorrow at the renowned figure being taken way before his time.

Here is what Mr. Block had to say:

I am very, very sorry to learn this morning of the death of ‘Boxing Monthly’ editor, Glyn Leach.

Under his direction, the ‘Monthly’ became an essential tool and means of encapsulating the goings on in both British and international boxing for the previous and future month. Even with the advent of internet and twitter immediacy it still remains an important means of staying on top of an overall view.

As a young outsider trying to make his mark it is fair to say that boxing authorities including the British Boxing Board of Control were not high on his list of favourites and there were some slightly tetchy exchanges between us in my early days as the Board’s General Secretary. That tetchiness subsided somewhat when I sent him an explanatory fax about a critical article he had published and I was surprised and even taken slightly aback by his very conciliatory response. Some years later I was heavily criticized by then Sky Sports chief, Vic Wakeling, promoter Frank Warren and my own Board over some comments I had made in an interview about the impact of subscription only televised boxing and the lack of terrestrial TV coverage. The point was a serious one but was made admittedly in a ham-fisted way. Following the apologetic press response made by the Board to Sky I was again surprised when Glyn wrote a very supportive article, given much prominence in the magazine, disagreeing with the Board’s response and supporting my view, albeit a view that could have been expressed better.

Earlier this year I sent him an American book I had come across in my research into the making of the Ali-Foreman ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ by boxing satellite broadcaster pioneer, Hank Schwarz, which was entitled in Britain ‘Rumble’ and I was due to send him a weighty biography by the same US publisher with whom I had dealings, of the late manager and trainer, Cus D’Amato. This had been promised to him weeks ago and I finally resolved to post it to him later this week when I come over to England for a day. I am now left with a regretful and empty feeling of ‘should have’, ‘could have’.

The August edition of the ‘Monthly’ had a picture of former World Champion Barry McGuigan with Carl Frampton, our Commonwealth Championship Belt draped over his shoulder to great effect. I emailed Glyn to thank him for this exposure and he kindly sent me by PDF a copy of the cover to assist with the Commonwealth Boxing Council’s search for a sponsor for the Belt. Our last exchange of emails was only on August 7th.

Glyn’s sudden death is unexplained as far as I have seen this morning but 52 is no age other than as a result of a grave accident or some underlying illness of which most of uswill be unaware. I cannot say we were best buddies but over the years we had developed a very warm professional relationship , particularly since my retirement as General Secretary of the BBB of C.

I will certainly miss our friendly exchanges of emails and perhaps the most fitting tribute will be if ‘Boxing Monthly’ continues into the future providing that neccessary monthly snapshot of where boxing is right now, and where it is going.